The program objectives

The Passerelle University Diploma enables non-native French speakers in exile to begin, continue or resume higher education in France.

The program offers intense instruction in the French language (10 to 12 hours a week of French as a foreign language). It also includes theme-based workshops where the language can be practiced (theater, discovery of French media, writing, etc.), university methods courses and support with specialization and applications (group workshops, regular individual meetings).

The small class sizes (max. 20 students per group) enable the supervising team (teachers, project managers) to monitor each student closely. At the start of the year each student is assigned a mentor (a volunteer Dauphine teacher to support the student in his/her retraining) and one or two “buddies” (volunteer Dauphine students to help the DU student adapt to life at Dauphine).

Aside from linguistic skills, the 6-month program enables students to acquire the cultural and academic skills needed to enroll and succeed in a university program. Students will learn skills including the following:

• Continue in the French higher education system
• Meet the demands of academic work in a university setting
• Take notes and write in French
• Speak publicly in French
• Participate in a working group
• Put together a college application (look for information, write a cover letter, and put together a CV)

Designed and accredited by the MEnS (Migrants in higher education) network, the Passerelle University Diploma has existed since 2020. It currently enrolls students at two different levels:

• “Advanced” level (B1 minimum when starting the DU), the aim of which is to obtain at least level B2 in the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), mastery of basic academic skills and direct entry into higher education following the program. Taking the “Advanced” DU does not guarantee admission to the Undergraduate, Master’s or PhD programs ar Paris Dauphine-PSL the following year.
• A “Beginner” level group (< A2 when starting the DU), the aim of which is to achieve at least a level B1, firm up future plans and continue study in a French higher education program (Passerelle University Diploma at a higher level or other program including French as a foreign language classes).  Taking the “Beginner” DU at Paris Dauphine-PSL does not guarantee admission to the “Advanced” DU the following year.

Fleur de Bitume Dauphine 

"Fleur de Bitume Dauphine ” is the university's oldest humanitarian association, founded at Dauphine in 1996. Today, it brings together more than 80 members divided into three divisions. Together, they organize daily local actions to fight against exclusion. The Alpha division, which has been teaching French language classes since its inception, has joined forces with us.  They play a role that is vital to the diploma’s success: recruiting around fifty students to support our participants and then leading this mentor network, monitoring the support students provide, and engaging with the program’s teaching team on an ongoing basis.

Réseau Migrants dans l’Enseignement Supérieur (Migrants in Higher Education Network)

Dauphine is a member of the MEnS (Migrants dans l’Enseignement Supérieur) network, an organization that brings together French institutions of higher education who are hosting and supporting students and researchers in exile. Its mission is to support and coordinate institutional activities, to help provide students and researchers in exile with optimal living conditions and integration into French life, and to situate this work in an international context.